Throttle-valve-controlling means



Feb. 6, 1923. 11,444,272.

- E. PULSIFER.

THROTTLE VALVE CONTROLLING MEANS. FILED 050.5.1921.

Patented Feb. 6, 1923..

ERNEST PULSIFER, 9F SALEM, M'ASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OFTWO-THIRDS T0 PULSIFER .ELND WARREN PULSIFER, BOTH 0F SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

THROTTLE-VALVE-CONTROLLING MEANS.

Application filed December 5, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ennnsr Punsrrnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Salem, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Throttle-ValveControlling Means, of which the following is a specification.

In the operation of steam propelled automobiles, which do not employ a clutch between the engine and the driving wheels, but rely entirely on the throttle valve to control the engine, it has been customary to control the throttle valve by means of a hand lever located at the middle of the steering wheel, and, so far as I am aware, it has not been considered practicable to provide footoperated throttle controlling means in con junction with the hand operated means ordinarily employed. Moreover, a foot operated throttle is considered dangerous, where the engine is always connected to the drive, as the engine is liable to be started by accidental depression of the foot operated means.

The objects of my invention are to provide a simple and effective means whereby the throttle of a steam automobile may be controlled either by hand, through a swinging handle at the steering wheel, or by a depressible pedal, or other foot controlled means, so arranged that each may be operated independently of the other, and the hand-operated means may be operated to close the throttle and at the same time may be moved to render the foot-controlled means inoperative.

I accomplish these objects by providing a hand operated means and an independentioot operated means each arranged to operate a single throttle controlling means independently of the other, and by providing means whereby, when the hand-operating means is moved to, or rearwardly of the osit-ion in which it causes the throttle to be closed, it will also disconnect the foot operated means from said controlling means. or otherwise render the same inoperative. For a more complete understanding of my invention reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which:

1 is a side sectional view of the front portion of an automobi e showing, in a general way, the application of an embodiment of my invention thereto.

' Serial No. 520,050.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the specific :torm or" controlling means which I preferably employ.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken at line:33 of Fig. 2.

Figs. at, 5 and 6 are cross sections at line of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a cross section, at line 7-7 of Fig. 3. V

In Fig. 1 of the drawing, the application of an embodiment of my invention to asteam automobile is illustrated in a general way, and, as shown thereon, the floor 10 of the body has the usual steering post 12 mounted therein, within which a rod 13 is rotatably mounted, said rod having a hand operated arm 14 at its upper end, and abevel gear 15 at its lower end arranged to mesh with a similar gear 16. The gear 16 has a crank arm 17 thereon which is connected by link 18 to the operating arm19. A push rod 20. having a head 21, adapted to be pressed by the foot, is conveniently arranged in the floor 10 and is directly connected at its lower end to the operating arm 22.

A base plate 23,11aving arms 24:, 25 thereon, is secured to the underside of the floor, so that said arms project downwardly, and a shaft 26 is mounted to oscillate in bearings 24* and 25, respectively, formed in the ends of said arms. A crank arm 27 is secured on one end of the shaft 26, in engagement with the adjacent endof the bearing 24, and a flange 28 is formed on the opposite end of the shaft, which engages the end of hearing 25 so that the shaft is held against longitudinal movement therein. The arm 27 isconnected by a link 29 to one arm of bell-crank lever 30, which is pivoted on the floor 10, the other arm thereof being connected to the throttle valve 31, which admits steam from the boiler to the engine. A spring 32 is connected to the arm 27 and 18 under tension to move the throttle valve to closed position, when opened, and to retain it in closed. position.

As thus far described the mechanical devices connected to the arms 19, 22 and 27 are merely illustrative of connections which may be employed," but ,it is considered that various other forms of connections may be advantageously employed. 7

ccording to my invention a segmental sleeve 19 is formed with the arm 19 and a segmental sleeve 22 with the arm 22, said sleeves being arranged end to end on'the shaft 26 and occupying all the space between the adjacent ends of the l earings 2 F, 25*, so that they are held against movement lengthwise of the shaft, but are free to be oscillated thereon. As shown in Fig. 2, a segmental portion of the sleeve 19", which is substantially less than a semi-circumference, is cut away, thereby providing oppositely disposed shoulders 19", 19 and, in like manner, a similar segmental portion is removed from the sleeve 22, providing a shoulder 22 A pin 33, or other suitable form of fixed abutment, is mounted in the shaft 26 approximately midway of the sleeve 19" and in position to be engaged by the shoulder 19", so that, when the hand lever 14- is moved to open the throttle, the sleeve is swung on the shaft until its shoulder 19" engages the pin 38, as shown in Fig. 4-, and then, on further movement the shaft will be moved so as to swing the arm 27 in a direction to open the throttle valve. as shown in Fig. 5.

A beveled. tooth 3-1 is arranged in a slot 26, which extends longitudinally of the shaft 26, and for a short distance beneath each bearing 25?, 25 and a bowed spring 35 is arranged in the bottom of said slot and acts to push said tooth outward.

The tooth 3% has reduced end portions which, extend beneath the bearings 24:, 25 and, by engaging therewith, act as stops to limit its outward movement by the spring 35.

With the parts in the position of Fig. 2, if the push rod or pedal 20 is depressed, the sleeve 22 will be swung so that its shoulder 22 will engage the front side of the tooth as shown in Fig. 7, and there v cause the shaft 26, on further movement of the sleeve, to be moved rotatably, and

cause the throttle valve to be opened in the manner already described. It will thus be evident that the throttle valve may be fully opened when either the handle 14C, or pedal 20 are operated independently of the other,

lVith such an arrangement, however, the pedal might be accidentally depressed when the automobile was stationary and the operatorunprepared to start the car. To obviate this danger, I so arrange the hand operated mechanism that the sleeve 19 may be moved back of the neutral position, in

which'it will permit the spring 32 to close the throttle valve, so that when the handle 14 is moved in the direction to permit the throttle to close,this movement may be contmued past the closed position causing the shoulder 19 to be moved into engagement with the beveled face of the tooth 34 and de- Q pressing the same beneath the surface of the v that in case the foot-operated rod 20 is depressed, and the sleeve 22 is moved in a direction to rotate the shaft, it will simply pass over the tooth without engaging the same. The foot operated means will thus be rendered ineffective, so long as the handle 1a is in the retarded position of Fig. 6, but, as soon as the sleeve 19 is returned to the neutral or intermediate posit-ion, the tooth will be forced out into position to be engaged by the shoulder 22.

It is to be further noted that the sleeve 16 may be moved to a sufficiently retarded position to bring the shoulder 19 into engagement with the pin 53, so that, in case the spring should break or fail to act to close the throttle, the shaft 26 may be positively moved by the handle 14% in a direction to force the throttle into its closed position.

it is also to be noted in this connection that, if the pedal is held in depressed posiidentally' either by foot, or some tion, acct obstruction, it may be disengaged from the tooth 34: by toning the hand lever back to therefor, and means for rendering said foot operated controlling means inoperative.

in combination with a throttle valve actuating means, independent hand-operated, and footoperated controlling means therefor, means operated by said hand operated controlling means for rendering said toot-operated controlling means inoperative. 2). iii combination with a throttle valve, actuating means for moving said valve from its closed position, a foot operated controlling means, engaging means intermediate said actuating means and said controlling means normally arranged to be engaged by said controlling means to operate said actuating means, to move said valve to an open position, a hand-operated controlling means movable from an intermediate position, in one direction to operate said actuating means to open the throttle valve and in the opposite direction to move said engaging l, in combination with a throttle valve,

ictuating means for moving said valve from ng means, an abutment interposed between aid 'actating means and said controlling 'ts closed position, a foot operated control- Cii controlling means movably from an intermediate position, in one direction to operate said actuating means to open the throttle valve, and in the opposite direction to move said abutment out of position to be engaged by said foot operated cont-rolling means.

5. In combination with a throttle valve a single actuating means for movi gsaid valve to open position, afootoperated CO11- trolling means and a hand-operated controlling means, separate engaging devices interposed between said foot-operated and said hand-operated means. respectively, and said actuating means, each in position to be cngaged thereby to move said actuating means to open said throttle valve, said hand-oper ated means being movable, from an intermediate position, in one direction to operate said actuating means thru its corresponding engaging device, and in the opposite direction to move the other engaging device out of position to be engaged by said foot-operated means.

6. In combination with a throttle valve, a shaft and means actuated thereby when moved rotatably from its normal position to open said valve, :1 foot-operated controlling means and a hand-operated controlling means, separate abutments on said shaft arranged to be engaged by said foot and handoperated means, respectively, when moved in one direction, from a neutral position, to operate said shaft, the abutment arranged to be engaged by said foot-operated means being movable out of engaging position by said handoperated means when the latter is moved in the opposite direction.

'7. In combination with a throttle valve, a. shaft and means actuated thereby when moved rotatably from an initial position to open said valve, a pair of sleeves mounted for rotational. movement on said shaft, two abutments mounted on said shaft and arranged to be engaged one by one of said sleeves and one by the other, when rotatably moved thereon in one direction from an initial position to operate said shaft, and means on one of said sleeves arranged to be engaged with the abutment of the other sleeve, when moved in the opposite direction from said position to move the same out of position to be engaged by its corresponding sleeve.

8. In combination with a throttle valve, a shaft and means actuated thereby when moved rotatably from an initial position to open said valve, a pair of sleeves mounted for rotational movement on said shaft, a fixed abutment and a depressed abutment mounted in said shaft, one arranged to be engaged by one of said sleeves and one by the other, when moved in one direction from an initial position, to operate said shaft, and means on the sleeve for cnga iug said tired abutment arranged to depress the other abutment into a position in which it will be. disengaged from the other sleeve in all positions of the latter.

9. In combination with a shaft and-means actuated thereby for opening said valve when the shaft is moved rotatably from its initial position, a tooth iounted in said shaft having an abutting face at one side and a beveled face at the opposite side and adapted to be depressed from its abutting position, a pedal operated sleeve on said shaft arranged to be engaged with said abutting face to operate said shaft, a projection fixed in said shaft, a hand operated sleeve having oppositely disposed faces adapted to be engaged with said projection when moved in opposite directions from an intermediate position, and means on. said hand-operated sleeve arranged to engage the beveled face of said tooth and depress the same from its abutting position when the sleeve is moved from its intermediate position in the opposite direction from that in which it is moved to open said valve.

10. In combination with a throttle valve, foot operated means and hand operates means each arranged to operate said throttle valve independently of the other, and means operated by said hand operated means when it is moved in a direction to close said valve to render said foot operated means inoperative.

11. In combination with a throttle valve, foot operated means and hand operated means each arranged to operate said throttle valve independently of the other, and means operated by said hand operated means when it is moved in a direction to close said valve, to disengage said foot-operated means from the valve when said foot operated means is in position to hold the valve open.

12. In combination with a throttle valve actuating means, foot operated controlling means, and hand operated controlling means for said actuating means, each arranged to operate the same independently of the other, said hand-operated means being movable from an intermediate position, in one direction to operate said actuating means, to open the throttle valve, and in the opposite direction to disengage said foot-operated means from said actuating means.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ERNEST PULSIFER.

throttle valve, Y, 

